Wish
by Dread Pirate Rinja
Summary: What she would wish for, if she knew it could come true, and even if he knew it couldn't. RxC.


_Written for and entered into MMorg's Summer Stars Contest 2005._

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Contest Requirements:_

Oneshots (1000 to 5000 word limit) may be fanfictions or originals but **must** include all three of these elements in addition to the Tanabata Festival theme:

1. A water fight  
2. A kiss on a bridge under the stars  
3. A shooting star

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_Disclaimer: Chrno Crusade and all affiliated characters belong to Daisuke Moriyama and all companies who hold license to his creative work. Used without permission. This story is not written for profit._

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**Wish**  
_(reposted)_

Stargazing.

One of the few elements of summer he truly enjoyed – watching the glimmering heavens above while he rested his head on raised, crossed arms. The cool evening air was a welcome change from the sweltering summer heat, and as he lay there enjoying the calm, he could hear Rosette's relaxed breathing. All was safe, all was well, even if it was just for an evening. That was enough to bring him peace.

He could see the summer constellations clearly tonight. Could see Hercules and Scorpius, the fighters; Draco, the majestic dragon of the skies. Moving a hand from behind his head, he placed it skywards, measuring the stars with a spread of his fingers. How odd, he realized, to see so many symbols juxtaposed in one expanse for all to see.

A snore broke the peaceful silence and, startled, he flinched. He glanced over at his dozing partner, a small chunk of her blonde hair trailing into her open mouth as she slept. She must have been exhausted after their swim just before dusk – he'd been dragged into the water against his will and had taken his revenge out by splashing Rosette until she tackled him. He fingered the damp ends of his braid as his lips twitched into a slight grin. Even in her youthful state, she tired easily. Then again, she didn't have that long to live…

He grimaced. Now _that_ – that was his fault. His greedy desire to linger on the planet, to be free from Pandemonium, stole her life – had already stolen life. And this time he frowned. It shouldn't be this way. If he could, he'd give all her life back to her now, but he was so powerless without his horns.

His crimson eyes glistened in the moonlight as he reached down to softly brush the hair from her mouth. A thousand apologies ran through his mind, but a simple whispered _I'm sorry _was all escaped his lips. Her eyelids fluttered, then slowly cracked open. Chrno pulled his hand away, blushing lightly.

"Chrno?" she mumbled, waking in increments. Yawned, stretched, then sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

The blush faded. "Ah, it's late. We should head back."

She gave him an odd look; he hadn't succeeded in hiding the hint of disappointment in his tone of voice. Heat rose to his cheeks again as the blush threatened to return.

"Are you alright, Chrno?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Before he could react, she was in his face, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead. "Don't tell me you're getting sick."

He gulped. "N-No, I'm fine," he stuttered, rising to his feet. He extended a hand. "Let's get back before Sister Kate sends a search party out for us."

Rosette yawned loudly as she grabbed his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "Yeah, let's go."

They walked in silence for a time, heading back from the grassy hill that overlooked the small park. A short wooden bridge crossed the stream that separated them from the main road that would take them back to the parish. The park wasn't far from the church that housed the New York division of the Magdalene order, for which Chrno was grateful – Rosette stumbled sleepily alongside him, and he wasn't sure she would stay awake much longer.

They were crossing the bridge when she suddenly wasn't beside him anymore. He turned to see what was the matter; her name on his lips never quite escaped once he saw her wide-eyed gaze. She shot him a smile as she pointed excitedly upwards.

"I just saw a shooting star!" she exclaimed. "I don't know if I've ever seen one before – are you supposed to wish when you see one?"

Chrno smiled gently. He had to admire her cheery, childlike mannerisms at times. The legend was that a falling star signaled death – not a wish granted – but he nodded anyway, not wanting to ruin the optimism. She smiled wistfully as she rested her elbows against the wooden railing and continued to stare upwards. He joined her, allowing his thoughts to drift.

Would Rosette be one of those falling stars soon?

"Chrno? What did you wish?" she asked after a moment.

Crimson widened in surprise. He hadn't expected the question, and he hesitated for a moment, mouth agape with a wordless answer.

"I have so many things to wish for," she answered instead. "I didn't know which one to choose, so… I guess I wished that I could have them all."

"Rosette…" he breathed with a sad – guilty – expression as he regarded her.

Bright blue eyes shone in the moonlight as she turned her gaze to him. "Do you know what I really wanted, though? I wished that you would stay with me, always."

He felt his gut twist uncomfortably with regret and sorrow as she watched him with a wide, innocent smile. How did she do that?

"Rosette, I – "

"And not just until we find Joshua. Even after then, I don't want you to leave."

He looked away – couldn't meet those sparkling eyes of hers when he felt so… ashamed. Her life was dwindling at his expenditure, and he couldn't –

A gentle hand on his cheek halted his thoughts, directing his focus back to her eyes, which searched his with shining concern. "Chrno? Promise me?"

With those words and her touch, he felt a growing need, a burning desire to hold her close to him. He wanted so badly to fulfill her wish, but he wasn't sure how to if he had to face Aion without sacrifice. And so he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Rosette, I don't know if I can promise you that," he began shakily, breathing into her hair. When her demeanor fell, shoulders relaxing, he felt his heart crash with her. Pulling away for a moment, he found himself cupping her cheek, shoring her back with his own wanting stare. "But I want to fulfill your wish for as long as possible. As far as I'm able, I will be here for you. With you."

The words brought some spark of hope back to her eyes, and the smile returned. "I'm glad," she replied. "Do… Do you…" Hesitation. "Do you know what else I wished for?" Searching – her eyes were searching his again. He looked back at her with a confused expression. "I… I wanted…" she paused again, and for a moment Chrno expected her to say more but was surprised when she leaned closer to him, eyes closed and lips slightly parted.

His cheeks heated quickly, heart pounding, but he didn't move, even when her lips hesitantly met his. Something inside him broke, and he pulled her instinctively closer as he returned the gesture. She tasted sweet, felt so warm, and all troubles seemed to fade into the background in that instant. All that mattered to him was making sure he kept that promise. She gave him a purpose, and he gave her an anchor. And for that eternal moment, the world granted them extra time.

He would stay with her to the end.

Moments passed. Chrno vaguely remembered Rosette pulling away, blushing yet beaming contentedly. She'd fallen asleep against his shoulder, and he'd pulled her onto his back, her breathing tickling his neck through thick violet locks of damp hair. It wasn't far to the church, and yet the distance didn't seem to matter anymore. For once, he pleaded up at the sky, wishing the night would last just a little longer.

Another star fell.

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_.fin._

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_First and foremost, I would like to thank Nela for beta reading this for me. You are awesome, m'dear. -luffs-_

_I'm surprised I even wrote this story. XD I usually run away screaming from romance, but for some reason a WAFFish fluffy plot bunny caught me by the ankles and wouldn't let go until I wrote it. Please forgive the cheesy romance; I'm really not much of a romance writer (although I'm female, I still am a huge fan of the action genre, haha…), so this definitely was a challenge for me. This is one of two pieces I entered into the Spring Mini-Contest at MediaMiner._

_H'okay. Comments – as always – are greatly appreciated._


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